


Of Love, Crushes and Tanabata

by akhikaru



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Community: rainbowfilling, First Crush, First Love, M/M, Tanabata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2019-05-21 12:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14915381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akhikaru/pseuds/akhikaru
Summary: Talking about his love life with his lover's daughter was not how Jun thought he'd spend Tanabata.





	Of Love, Crushes and Tanabata

**Author's Note:**

> For the rainbowfilling prompt "How I met your father".

Tanabata had always been one of those days that Matsumoto Jun felt ambivalent about. It was one of the most popular national festivals, based on a quite adorable folk story. Jun enjoyed watching fireworks on a warm summer night as much as the next Japanese guy, but it didn't hold any personal meaning to him. He didn't have any remarkable memories linked to it, save for the times his mother and father took him outside to play when he was little, and even those were quite blurry.

Not to mention that he stopped writing wishes on tanzaku after his wish to become a professional baseball player didn't come true—he was twelve and bitter that he wasn't accepted in his school's club, it was all very dramatic.

That day, Jun had decided to stay home. His partner wasn't in town, and he declined an invitation from his friends to go out for some drinks. While the company was certainly tempting, his editor would visit him the next morning. Nursing a hangover while discussing details about his newest novel didn't sound like a good scenario. He was typing away in his studio when he heard the front door of the house open.

_That's odd_ , he thought as he made his way downstairs. _I thought he wouldn't come back until tomorrow…_

As expected, it wasn't his lover. The intruder was a young girl, dressed in a colorful yukata. "Ayako-chan?"

The girl startled when Jun called her name. She turned towards him slowly, her head hanging low. Despite her bangs covering most of her face, Jun noticed immediately the tear streaks on her cheeks.

"What happened?" he asked softly as he ushered her into the living room. "Your dad told me that you would be staying at your friend's tonight."

Ayako remained in silence, fiddling with her handbag's straps absent-mindedly. She wasn't normally that quiet, which made Jun feel all the more worried. Jun was considering to call her mother—not that he was on very good terms with that woman, but for Ayako's sake, he'd endure the awkwardness—when she finally spoke up.

"Ojiisan… what does a person do when they get a broken heart?"

_Ahh…_ Jun sighed. He didn't consider himself an expert in romantic matters—and had never in his life given any kind of advice to a teenager—so he pondered over the question for a while. 'Broken heart' she said. _Broken heart…_

Had Jun ever got his heart seriously broken? As far as he could remember, he _had_ had some serious disappointments, but a broken heart? Maybe when he was younger, and a lot more naïve, he _did_ think himself heartbroken. Yet, somehow, at the moment those events seemed rather unimportant. They had probably never been a big deal in the first place.

"Well…" Jun furrowed his eyebrows, still searching through his memories for a truly heartbreaking moment—was there any? "I guess that most times one simply recovers after some time passes."

"Are you sure?" Ayako sniffed. "I think I'll never _ever_ get over this!"

Jun burst out laughing, under the girl's furious stare. Her cheeks were getting red and puffy. "Now, now, isn't that a bit extreme?" he cooed, hoping to get on her good side. "This is just your first crush, isn't it?"

"Yes, but… don't people say that one never forgets one's first love?" Ayako whined.

"That's a widely misunderstood statement," Jun replied. "And your first _crush_ isn't necessarily your first _love_."

Ayako shot him an incredulous glance. She looked a lot like her father when she did that, Jun noted. "Is there a difference?"

"Why, of course there is!" Jun held back a grin as Ayako's eyebrows shot up, her expression changing into one of amazement, as though Jun had just revealed to her the secret of the universe. She scooted closer to him, a playful grin on her lips.

"Would you explain it to me then?"

"Hmm…" Jun pursed his lips. Ayako continued staring at him, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. She really, _really_ resembled her father, and Jun was having a hard time trying to resist her request. "I suppose I could give it a try."

Ayako squealed in excitement and rushed to the kitchen to "get some tea for their serious talk!"

Meanwhile, Jun sat in his living room, wondering what he had just gotten himself into.

 

"So… tell me about your first love."

Jun almost spat his tea at the question. _So direct…_ "Don't you mean 'first _crush_ ', Ayako-chan?" he arched an eyebrow at her. "I haven't told you whether I've _ever_ truly _loved_ someone or not."

"What about my papa?" Ayako pouted at him. "You _do_ love him, right?"

"Well…" Jun smirked.

"Ojiisan!" Ayako started whining and hitting Jun's arm as he laughed.

"I do, alright! Stop it!" Jun said, barely able to contain his laughter.

"And is he your first love?"

"No," Jun replied. "Definitely not."

"Eh…" Ayako hummed. "When did you fall in love for the first time?"

"Hmm… In college, I think," Jun mumbled. The image of his then boyfriend's smiling face appeared on his mind, making him smile in turn. "It was my first serious relationship. I think that if I ever loved someone before your father, it was definitely that time."  
  
  
  


* * *

It was a sunny spring morning. Cherry blossoms were in bloom, and while for everyone else it was something to celebrate, Jun begged to differ. He was allergic to pollen, so this season was actually the worst for him. Thankfully, his doctor had prescribed him a new medicine, something stronger than what he was taking the previous year. He still wore a mask and a hat when he was outside, for extra protection.

As he made his way to the classroom for his first class of the day, he heard someone sneezing. At first, he ignored it. Many people had the same problem, so it wasn't anything unusual. However, when the sneezing didn't cease after a while, Jun turned to see what was going on.

A young man around his age was standing there, his nose completely red and his eyes glassy. "Are you okay?" Jun asked him.

"Y-Y…" the man sneezed. Jun handed him a tissue immediately. "Thank you," the man mumbled.

"Hay fever?" Jun asked with a sympathetic smile.

"Yes," the man sighed. "I forgot to buy my medication, so I ran out of pills precisely today… did you know that pollen levels this morning are the highest we've had this year?"

Jun winced. He couldn't imagine going through the city without taking his medication in such conditions. Feeling compassionate for the other guy, he fished his pill organizer out of his bag. "Hmm… I think these ones should do…" He handed the man a couple of capsules. "These usually work for me."

The man's watery eyes filled with more tears—happy ones, if his wide smile was anything to go by. "Thank you!" he said.

"No problem."

Just as Jun was about to turn and leave, the man tugged on his sleeve. "Hey… may I know your name?" he asked, blushing slightly.

"Matsumoto Jun."

"Nice to meet you, then, Jun-kun." The man grinned. "I'm Aiba Masaki."

* * *

  
  
  
"So this Aiba guy, he's your first love?"

"I would say so, yes," Jun nodded. "He asked me out the day after that, can you believe it?" He laughed fondly at the memory of Aiba rushing towards Jun's table during lunchtime to ask him out in front of his friends.

"I almost said no, but… I don't know." Jun bit his lip. "There was something _special_ about him. I just couldn't resist him."

"And why aren't you together anymore?"

"Oh, well…" Jun sighed. "After our graduation, we took separate ways. He got a job in another city, and I stayed here. We tried to make it work at first but, eventually, we realized that we were better off as friends."

"That's very sad…" Ayako mumbled.

"I wouldn't say so," Jun replied. "It was a decision we made together, considering our future and our best interests. It would have been selfish if we had tried to stop each other's goals. We see each other only once or twice a year, and we get along pretty well. I'm not sure if it would have been the case, had we continued our relationship."

"Do you still love him?"

Jun furrowed his eyebrows. That was something he hadn't asked himself in a long time. "I guess I do, but in a different way."

Ayako hummed. She was quiet for a while, probably trying to understand what Jun had just told her. Meanwhile, Jun pondered over it himself as well.

When he thought of Aiba, he had nothing but good memories. Their time together was brief, perhaps more than Jun would have wanted, yet Jun didn't regret anything. It had been nice to fall in love with someone like him. He'd treasure it forever.

_I guess that in a way, that saying is right,_ Jun suppressed a chuckle. _A true first love stays in the heart forever._

 

"I don't get something…"

Jun was startled when Ayako spoke again. "What is it?"

"How come your first love was in college? Isn't that a little… _late_?"

_There it goes_ , Jun scowled at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know there was an _acceptable_ age to fall in love for the first time." He didn't bother hiding his sarcasm from her.

Ayako colored in embarrassment. "That's not—"

"I think that's exactly what you meant, young lady," Jun cut her off. "Pray, tell me something, what does 'love' mean to you?"

"Well…" Ayako paused. "Isn't it when… you know… when you want to go out with someone, and you kiss, and you feel butterflies in your tummy?"

Jun smirked. "That isn't love. That's what you call _attraction_. In other words: a _crush_."

"Eh? But…" Ayako frowned. "Everyone calls it love though!"

"Ah, the word love is used so lightly nowadays…" Jun said in mock lament. "A crush can _lead_ you to love, that's true, but it's not love itself. Love is so much deeper than that. You'll understand it one day—when you _do_ love someone."

"And is there an age for that?"

"No," Jun grinned. "That's the beauty of it. It could happen to anyone when they're expecting it the less…"

Ayako observed him with wide eyes. Jun patted her head. "That's why I said that you'll get over it. Crushes, they don't ever last very much."

"Have you had one?"

"More than I'd like to admit," Jun snorted. "In fact, I had my first crush when I was about your age. It feels like it was in another lifetime…"  
  
  
  


* * *

The coolest guy ever. That was how Jun would have described his favorite senpai back in high school when he was a short, skinny, bespectacled little kid who was far too easy to impress. Not that being an honor roll student, striker of their school's soccer team, and delegate of the student council could be considered an easy feat, but Jun was certain that, had they met later in life, he would have never _ever_ fallen for a guy like that.

Overachiever, short-tempered, rebellious as hell. A troublemaker was hidden under all the apparent perfection. Jun hadn't been immune to his charms.

The one thing Jun was grateful for was that meeting that senpai had clarified many doubts he harbored since he could remember. It finally made sense why when all the other boys were drooling over Yukie-san, their very young homeroom teacher, he hadn't seen why.

It was the first time senpai kissed him that he had the answer: he was into boys.

"D-Don't tell anyone about this…" senpai had begged him, a sad look on his face. "I really like you too, Jun-kun, but…"

"Y-Yes?"

"My father would kill me if he knows I like boys." Senpai sighed.

"Then we can keep it a secret!" Jun said. "We can pretend to be just friends!"

Senpai shook his head. "I don't want to lie, Jun-kun. That will only hurt both of us in the end. You deserve more than being someone's secret boyfriend, and I can't give you that. I'm sorry."

It had hurt. Jun cried, and cried until he couldn't cry anymore. He curled up in a corner hugging his knees for the rest of the afternoon.

From that day on, he swore to himself that he would never forgive senpai for what he did.

Sakurai Sho, whom he used to idolize, became a synonym with everything bad in the world.

* * *

  
  
  
"You were rejected…"

"I was," Jun nodded. "I remember that I screamed 'I hate you, Sakurai Sho!' when he tried to comfort me."

"And did you hate him?"

"For a while!" Jun laughed. "I threw him dirty glares every time we passed by each other in the halls that year. But then, on the day he graduated, he came to see me. He gave me the second button of his gakuran. I was really shocked!"

"Do you think he had a crush on you?"

"I'm pretty sure he did," Jun said with a smile. "I haven't seen him since that day, though. I heard from some classmates that he dyed his hair blonde and got two piercings when he was in the university, just to piss his parents off." He chuckled. "Sounds just like something he would do."

"And do you ever think about him?"

"At times," Jun admitted. "When I was younger, I used to daydream about what could have happened if we had dated. I had this fantasy that he would eventually fight his family to be with me." He shook his head. "I was too naïve. It would have been a mistake, and I'm glad that he was honest with me and rejected me right away instead of giving me hopes."

"Why?"

"Because I _did_ deserve better," Jun said. "He didn't have enough confidence to come clean with his family about his preferences yet. It would have gotten really ugly."

"You forgave him then?"

"I understood his motives later," Jun said. "He wasn't as much of a jerk as I pegged him for."

"Hmm…" Ayako nodded. "What if you met him again? What would you do?"

"Oh, I wonder if I'd even recognize him!" Jun exclaimed. "We were children back then. He must look so different now…"

Rather than thinking about Sakurai Sho's physical appearance, however, Jun was wondering about something else. "I hope he was honest with his family and with himself in the end," he mumbled, more to himself than to Ayako.

That question would probably stay unanswered for the rest of his life.

 

They spent the rest of the night talking about Jun's past romantic experiences. Jun satisfied her curiosity telling her about his affairs with as many details as he could, leaving out the parts that he didn't consider appropriate discussing with a girl of her age—it wasn't his place to have the birds and the bees talk with her. It was an unusual way to bond with a partner's daughter for sure, but Jun was glad they did it. Having the chance to reflect on his past actions, while passing down his limited knowledge to her, was very much welcome.

Jun went to the kitchen to make more tea when they ran out of it. Ayako followed him and made the question he had been expecting since the start of their conversation.

"Ojiisan… and how did you and my dad meet?"

Well, that was his favorite story, actually.  
  
  
  


* * *

Jun's first novel was ready to be printed. He had signed up for that writing contest on a whim. When they called him back, saying that he had won, well… it had been the most pleasant surprise he had that year.

"I'm meeting with the editor in a moment, Masaki," Jun told his overexcited friend over the phone. "I'll call you later, okay?"

As he made his way inside the man's office, Jun made a mental note to invite Masaki over for dinner. An occasion like that one _had_ to be celebrated.

"Pardon for the intrusion," Jun mumbled as he opened the door.

And that was the first time he saw Ayako's father.

* * *

  
  
  
The doorbell rang at that moment. "I'll go," Jun said. He went to the front door and was surprised to see a boy standing there. "Yes?"

"Umm…" The boy's face went red. "Is Ayako-chan here?"

"Depends," Jun said, mustering the sternest face he could. "Who's asking?"

The boy shifted a bit. He was dressed in a yellow shirt and dark jeans, his black hair a bit disheveled. In his left hand, almost hidden behind his back, he had a bag filled with fireworks. "I'm Ninomiya Kazunari. We're classmates," the boy said. "A-Are you Ayako-chan's father?"

"Something like that." Jun folded his arms across his chest. "So… a classmate, huh?"

Ninomiya nodded. "She left when I was buying the fireworks. The guys told me she was upset because of something that happened with Takahashi-kun," he mumbled. "She told me she really, _really_ wanted to light fireworks today, so I thought… maybe…"

As the boy continued rambling, Jun heard Ayako's footsteps getting closer. He moved aside and let her come forward. "Ninomiya-kun? What are you doing here?" she asked in a surprised tone.

Once again, Ninomiya blushed. "Umm…" He cleared his throat. "I… I bought the fireworks."

"Thanks," Ayako received the bag with a smile. "Do you… do you want to light them together?"

"Sure!" Ninomiya replied—Jun noticed that he was trying not to seem too excited, although he probably was. _Interesting…_

The two teenagers went to the backyard. Not wanting to interrupt, Jun stood by the door to keep an eye on them. _That Ninomiya boy has a crush on her_ , Jun chuckled, seeing how hard Ninomiya was trying to cheer Ayako up. _She hasn't noticed yet…_

A smile crept up to his face as Ayako laughed with Ninomiya.

_Who knows… that boy might even become her first love…_

He was so engrossed watching them that he didn't see the man approaching him from behind until two hands were covering his eyes. "Who am I?"

Jun rolled his eyes and turned to greet his lover. "That one stopped surprising me a long time ago, Ohno Satoshi."  
  
  
  


* * *

When the editor introduced him to Ohno Satoshi, the man in charge of designing his novel's cover, Jun didn't think much of him. Once he saw Ohno's first 'sketches' for it, however, he completely changed his mind.

"These are amazing, Ohno-san!" Jun told him that day. Ohno gave him a sheepish smile and continued explaining his concept. Jun was mesmerized. Artists had always interested him greatly, so he paid close attention to everything Ohno said. He was a bit disappointed when the editor declared that the meeting was over.

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Jun told Ohno as they shook hands. "I hope we can meet again one of these days."

"Me too," Ohno replied, going slightly pink.

As Jun walked away, he wondered when he'd be able to see Ohno again. It turned out to be sooner than he expected.

That night, he went to celebrate with Aiba. They met at a ramen place which had become very popular in the last few months. Coincidentally, Ohno Satoshi was having dinner there, all by himself. Jun's heart started beating faster as they got closer to Ohno's table. He wondered how he should greet him, or if it would be imprudent of him to do so. But…

"Oh-chan?"

Ohno's head snapped up when he heard Aiba's voice. "Aiba-kun?" he said with a wide smile. "No way! It's been such a long time!"

"It has, it has!" Aiba replied happily. "Ah! Oh-chan, this is my friend Jun. Jun, this is Oh-chan. We took a baking class together in college, right, Oh-chan?"

"We did." Ohno nodded, his eyes locked on Jun. "It's nice to see you again so soon, Matsumoto-sensei."

Jun blushed to the tip of his ears. "Y-Yes…" he said. "But please, call me Jun."

Aiba, who was too thrilled after learning that they had already met beforehand, decided that the three of them should celebrate together. They talked the entire night, mostly about Aiba and Ohno's culinary experiments during their baking class.

"Anyway, Oh-chan, how is Ayako-chan doing?" Aiba asked. "She must be, what, ten years old?"

"Yes." Ohno grinned. "She's fine. Keeps getting into fights with her mom, but you know how women are," he finished with a laugh.

"I didn't know you were married, Ohno-san," Jun commented.

"Actually, I'm not." Ohno chuckled. "Ayako's mom was my girlfriend when we started college. We are raising her together, but we don't live in the same house or anything."

"Oh…" Jun hummed. Somehow that information made him feel relieved.

By the end of the night, they had exchanged phone numbers and e-mails.

And, well… the rest was history.

* * *

  
  
  
"So who's the boy?" Ohno pointed with his chin at Ninomiya, who was sitting next to Ayako on the grass.

"Ayako's boyfriend."

"Eh! What!?" Ohno went completely pale. "I'm going to talk to him!"

Jun burst out laughing. "Satoshi, calm down! They're just friends."

"Are you sure?" Ohno narrowed his eyes at Jun.

"Positive." Jun nodded. "Although he's a nice boy. If they start dating—"

"No!" Ohno pouted. "My baby won't date anyone until she's thirty!"

Jun rolled his eyes at him. "Leave them alone, Satoshi."

"But—"

"How about we go upstairs while they are distracted, hmm?" Jun winked at Ohno, sliding an arm around his waist. "I've missed you."

"Fine…" Ohno sighed. "But then we will come back!"

"Of course," Jun nodded, already dragging Ohno towards the staircase.

They didn't stay long enough to witness the moment Ninomiya confessed to Ayako.

 

The next morning, Jun woke up very early to get ready. Ohno whined when he left the bed but fell asleep again almost immediately. Jun tucked him under the covers before leaving the room.

"What's that?" Jun frowned as he entered the living room. A pink piece of paper was hanging in one of the branches of his potted bamboo.

_I want that Jun-ojiisan and Papa love each other forever so that the three of us can always be a family._

Jun would always deny that he cried a little bit when he read Ayako's tanzaku.

Tanabata wasn't such a meaningless day anymore from that year on.


End file.
